With the addition of these cases, the case count for Omicron in Indonesia has increased to eightJakarta (ANTARA) - The Health Ministry confirmed more cases of Omicron variant of coronavirus in Indonesia involving three travelers from abroad, detected through Whole Genome Sequencing examination reported on Wednesday (Dec 22) night.
"With the addition of these cases, the case count for Omicron in Indonesia has increased to eight," spokesperson for Vaccination at the Health Ministry, Siti Nadia Tarmizi, noted in a written statement here, Thursday.
Akin to the five cases prior to this finding, the three confirmed cases this time were imported cases involving travelers that had recently arrived from Congo and Malaysia.
All three are Indonesian migrant workers, who have currently been quarantined at the Kemayoran Athlete's Village (Wisma Atlet) COVID-19 Emergency Hospital.
"All Omicron cases in Indonesia are from (people who went) overseas (imported cases). This finding shows that all cases occur in quarantine, so we can contain them in quarantine and so far, none had spread out," she remarked.
Tarmizi said this situation demonstrated Indonesia's commendable defense system against Omicron variant. However, it was still necessary to impose stricter gatekeeping at all entry points to the country, via land, sea, and air, to prevent the entry of Omicron.
The Health Ministry has amped up its surveillance activities and increased WGS examinations, especially for patients, who had traveled abroad and are confirmed positive with COVID-19.
Such methods aim to find confirmed cases early, so that quarantine and medical treatment for symptomatic cases can be conducted immediately.
Given the spread of Omicron, Tarmizi urged the public to not travel abroad unless for urgent matters.
The spokesperson also called on the public to always remain cautious of the risk of COVID-19 transmission, especially Omicron. It was since this variant was thought to spread much faster than the existing ones.
"Protect yourself by applying health protocols in a disciplined manner and immediately get the COVID-19 vaccination," she stated.
Related news: Indonesia remains vigilant of Omicron threat during holiday season
Related news: Two more Omicron cases identified in Indonesia
Related news: Central Java's residents should stay alert for Omicron threat
Translator: Andi Firdaus, Mecca Yumna
Editor: Sri Haryati
Copyright © ANTARA 2021
